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ORGANIC PLANT CULTURE BHT302

Course CodeBHT302
Fee CodeS2
Duration (approx)100 hours

Organic Gardening Course -Online Course or Correspondence Course options

  • Learn to plan and develop the cultivation of different plants using organic principles and techniques.
  • Learn how to make organic plant food, what is organic food, and more
  • Indulge your passion, work in horticulture, expand your gardening skills
Learn from an international team of course writers and tutors including:
  • John Mason -author of Sustainable Agriculture, published by Landlinks Press (CSIRO), Fellow Institute of Horticulture (UK), Fellow Australian Institute of Horticulture.
  • Maggi Brown - former Education Officer, HDRA, Ryton, Life member of "Garden Organic"
  • Adriana Fraser - organic enthusiast, 25 years organic growing, consultant, teacher, writer for Grass Roots

COURSE CONTENT

The ten lessons are as follows:

1. Introduction

  • Scope and Nature of Organic Growing
  • Definitions
  • Influential People in the Organic movement: Lady Balfour, Sir Albert Howard, Jerome Irving Rodale
  • Different Ways to Garden Organically. Biodynamics, Permaculture
  • Resources

2.  Plant Culture

  • Different Cultivation Methods
  • Crop Rotation
  • Green Manure
  • No Dig Culture
  • Not TillPlanting into Grass

3.  Understanding Soils

  • Physical and Chemical Soil Properties
  • Soil Profiles
  • Identifying Soil Type
  • Soil Structure
  • pH
  • Cation Exchange Capacity
  • Buffering Capacity
  • Soil water and air, temperature, humus, etc
  • Organic Matter

4.  Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition

  • Organic Fertilisers; scope, nature, comparing different types of fertilizer and manure
  • Animal Manures
  • Seaweed and seaweed extracts
  • Liquid Feeds in Organics
  • Rock Dusts

5.  Management

  • Importance of Soil
  • Cultivation Techniques and their affects on soil
  • Cover Crops
  • Using Cover Crops
  • Green Manures as Cover Crops
  • Nitrogen Fixation
  • The Rhizobium Bacteria
  • Mycorrhyzae
  • Composting
  • Compost Bins
  • What can be Composted
  • Carbon Nitrogen Ratio
  • Compost heap conditions; cold and hot heaps
  • How to build a compost heap
  • Using Compost
  • Water in the Soil; infiltration, retention, when to water, period of watering

6.  Pests and Diseases

  • Pest and Diserase Prevention
  • Management Techniques; early intervention, using predators
  • Allowable inputs
  • Understanding Plant Problems
  • Disease Lifecycles
  • Review of Disease Types and their management
  • Viruses
  • Review of Pests and their management
  • Review of Environmental Problems and their Management
  • Companion Planting
  • Nutrient Accumalating Plants

7.  Mulching

  • Scope and Nature
  • Mulching Materials
  • Living Mulch
  • Weed Management, preventative measures, other weed control methods

8.  Seeds

  • Organic Seeds
  • Reproduction
  • Pollination and preventing cross pollination
  • Choosing Seed Plants for Vegetable Crops
  • Collection, cleaning, storing seeds
  • Sowing

9. Vegetable Growing in your locality

  • Site Selection
  • Planning the Crop
  • Getting the most from a Vegetable Plot
  • Sowing Vegetable Seeds; outdoors, indoors
  • Transplanting Seedlings
  • Crowns, Offsts, Tubers
  • Selected Vegetables, their culture, production, harvest, etc
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Beetroot
  • Silverbeet
  • Cabbage
  • Capsicum
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflowers
  • Celery
  • Chicory
  • Cucumbers
  • Egg plants
  • Kohl rabi
  • Leek
  • Lettuce
  • Onions
  • Parsnips
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkins
  • Radish
  • Spinach
  • Turnip
  • Tomatoes

10.  Fruit Growing in your locality.

  • Establishing an Orchard; site, climate, water
  • Designing an Orchard
  • Soil Management for Organic Orchards
  • Winter Chilling, Pollination and other fruit set factors
  • Choosing Fruit Varieties
  • Temperate and Cool Climate Fruits Review
  • Review of Tropical and Sub Tropical Fruits
  • Vine Fruits
  • Berry Fruits
  • Nuts

Course Aims

  • Explain the concepts and principles of organic growing, including the common techniques
    used in organic growing systems.
  • Explain the concepts and principles of organic growing, including the common techniques
    used in organic growing systems.
  • Determine soil management procedures, which are consistent with organic growing
    principles.
  • Determine soil management procedures, which are consistent with organic growing
    principles.
  • Determine soil management procedures, which are consistent with organic growing
    principles.
  • Explain how pests and diseases are controlled using organic growing principles
  • To determine appropriate mulches for  use in different organic growing situations.
  • Determine the appropriate use of seed propagation, in organic plant culture.
  • Plan the production of an organically grown vegetable food crop
  • Plan the production of an organically grown fruit crop

    Duration:  100 hours

     

    Is Organic Really Healthier?
    • Organic growing will avoid using undesirable chemicals or anything else that can contaminate people or the environment; and it's obviously healthier to avoid undesirable contaminants.
    • Organics also uses manures, mulches and other organic materials that may otherwise have been waste -and that has to be healthier for the environment (and in turn healthier for all of us who share the environment

    When you grow organically though, you are increasing (or at least sustaining) the amount of organic material in the soil. Soils that have more organic material tend to remain more stable. They heat up and cool down more slowly. They contain more of the necessary microorganisms that are needed to make plants grow well, and they are better able to supply plants with micro nutrients needed to see plants grow and produce the best crops.   Opinions will always differ on how beneficial organics really is; but there is no doubt that there are some indisputable advantages.

     

    Visit the ACS bookstore to view outlines of books on organics, permaculture, self sufficiency, plant propagation and many more.

    Click here to enter the book store  

    • REASONS TO STUDY WITH ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION

    • Reputation:
        -teaching Horticulture since 1979
        -exceptional faculty staff (see below)
    • Hands on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills
    • Uniqueness:
        -successful people are always those who can offer a skill or service that others can't
        -this course is different; our graduates have different skills to set them apart.
    • Relevance -curriculum developed in response to industry needs
    • Lots of help: personal, prompt attention from tutors
    • Holistic Courses: We teach more than just "facts"
        -success is only 20% about intelligence (and what you know)
        -you also need to build networking, problem solving & communication skills, and more!
        -this course helps you develop all of these things and more
    • Value: courses compare very favorably on a cost per study hour basis
    • Up to date: courses under constant review
    • Student amenities: This school is backed by over one of the most unique and comprehensive private collections of intellectual property in the horticultural industry. The principal and staff have written and published over 50 books and 150 gardening magazines, as well as 20,000 hours horticultural study programs. A team of 5 horticultural writers continue to develop and update new material continually. These resources together with web sites, an online student room, social media etc. provide a unique and comprehensive facility to support students studying with the school.


    OUR FACULTY
    These are just some of the people involved with developing and updating courses; and tutoring our horticulture students

    John Mason Dip.Hort.Sc.
    40 years + in horticulture Graduated from Burnley Horticultural College in 1971,Nurseryman, Landscape Designer and Parks Director through the 1970's. One of Australia's most published garden writers, author of books published by Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, CSIRO and other major publishers; Editor for 4 different national gardening magazines; honored as a fellow of both the Institute of Horticulture in Australia and the Institute of Horticulture in the UK.

    Gavin Cole B.Sc., M.Psych.
    30 years + in horticulture. Renowned horticulturist and psychologist. Former operations manager for the highly regarded "Chelsea Gardener" landscape firm in London, garden writer and landscaper in both Brisbane and Adelaide in Australia.

    Maggi Brown
    40 years + in horticulture. Former education manager for "Garden Organic"; England's peak organic gardening and farming body.

    Dr Lyn Morgan Phd
    25 years + in horticulture. New Zealand based hydroponic consultant and author, with experience working everywhere from Asia to America.

    Rosemary Davies Dip.Hort.Sc.
    30 years + in horticulture; including Victorian Department of Agriculture Gradening Advisor, Gardening Editor/writer/author for major publishers and newspapers.

    Diana Cole  B,A., RHS Dip Hort, NTEC Higher Dip in Garden Design
    15 years + in horticulture and landscaping

    Adriana Fraser Adv.Dip.Hort.
    30 years + in horticulture. Consultant, teacher, garden write, manager of plant collections

    Bob James B.App.Sc(Hort), M. Env.Sc., Grad.Dip.Mgt., PDC, Dip.An.Husb.

    Yvonne Sharpe  Dip.Hort., M.Hort.

    Martin Powdrill  B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc. PDC

    Marie Beerman  B.Sc., M.Hort.  






    REFERENCE BOOKS
    ACS operates a student bookshop that supplies a range of horticulture texts to supplement our courses.
    Many are written by the principal (well known gardening author John Mason), or other staff. All have been reviewed and approved by our academic experts (to be accurate and relevant to students studying our horticulture courses).
    • Student discounts are available to anyone studying with ACS Distance Education.
    • Both printed books and ebooks (as downloads) available
     
    GARDEN DESIGN Part I  by John Mason (publisher ACS)  EBook
    GARDEN DESIGN Part 2  by John Mason (publisher ACS)  EBook
    http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2245-garden-design-part-2-pdf.aspx
    THE ENVIRONMENT OF PLAY by John Mason 2nd edition (publisher: ACS)   Ebook
    STARTING A GARDEN OR LANDSCAPE BUSINESS 2nd Edition  by John Mason  (publisher: ACS)  EBook http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2241-starting-a-garden-or-landscape-business-pdf.aspx
    GROWING TREES and SHRUBS for SMALL GARDENS by John Mason

    TROPICAL and WARM CLIMATE GARDENING  by John Mason (publisher Bay Books)  Printed Book
    ORCHIDS: A BEGINNERS GUIDE by John Mason  (publisher: Highland House)  Printed Book
    GROWING CONIFERS   by John Mason (publisher: Kangaroo Press)  Printed book

    GROWING  FERNS by John Mason (publisher: Kangaroo Press)  Printed book
     
    TROPICAL PLANTS by John Mason (publisher ACS)   E Book
    http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2248-tropical-plants-pdf.aspx
    NURSERY MANAGEMENT 2nd Edition by John Mason (publisher :andlinks Press)  Printed Book
    GROWING AUSTRALIAN NATIVES 2nd edition  Printed Book
    STARTING A NURSERY OR HERB FARM 3rd edition by John Mason   (publisher: ACS)  EBook http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2242-starting-a-nursery-or-herb-farm-pdf.aspx
    GROWING AND USING VEGETABLES and HERBS  by John Mason  (publisher: Kangaroo Press)  Printed Book
     
    • Click on above link for info
    • Sample pages available to download for all ebook
    • E Books can be purchased online for immediate download (Can be read on a computer, ipad, iphone, lap top, most book readers or similar devices).
    • GO TO www.acsbookshop.com for more titles